Submarine-crew-rescue apparatus



March 17, 1931. J. w SHULER 1,796,408 I SUBMARINE CREW RESCUE APPARATUS Fild Aug- 22, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR,

March 17, 1931. w SHULER 1,796,408

SUBMARINE CREW RESCUE APPARATUS Filed Aug. 22, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /7 FTT'ITI ivpa. 26' J INVENTOR, hie- '77. 52x20;-

' ZTTORNEY Patented Mar. 17, 1931 PATENT OFFICE,

JAMES W. SHULER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA SUBMARINE-CBEW-RESCUE APPARATUS Application filed August 22, 1928.

This invention relates to means for saving the imprisoned crew of a sunken submarine vessel and to deep sea exploring apparatus.

I have invented apparatus including a diving shell and this invention relates especially to means for hitching the shell to a sunken ship or a submarine, and to means to aid in sealing off a leach window of the shell.

An object is to facilitate the hitching of the shell to the ship without the aid of divers exterior of the diving chamber, and to provide hitch means operative, and under full control, from the interior of the shell.

A further object is to provide a vacuum pocket having a sealing off face for adhesive application to the hull.

Other objects, advantages and features, and details of means will be made manifest in the ensuing description of the herewith illustrative embodiment of the present conception; it being understood that modifications, variations and adaptations, and em ployment of equivalents, and the transposition of parts and the utilization of appropriate materials may be resorted to within the spirit, scope and principle of the invention as it is more directly claimed hereinafter. Figure 1 is a plan and horizontal section of the apparatus.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of one of the hitch arms.

Figure 3 is a plan of a detached crane. Figure 4 is a front elevation of the sealing frame.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section of the seal means as applied to a portion of a ships hull. Figure 6 is a side elevation of the device. In its illustrated form the invention can sists of a suitably shaped, closed, diving shell 2 of any desired size and having a suitably located leach window 3 having a scalable door 4. Around the window 3 is an exterior frame 5 which has a bed of packing rubber 6 to press against a ships hull H.

Spaced around the frame 5 is an outer frame 10 having a sealing facing of rubber 11 for abutment against the hull H. The space S between frames 5-10 is adapted to be exhausted of trapped water by means of Serial No. 301,189.

.a suitable pump 12 discharging at 13 to the sea or elsewhere. A by-pass 14 allows of equalization of sea pressure in the space S when it is desired to break the vacuum and release the shell from the hull.

It is desirable that the diving shell 2 may be hitched to the ship hull H without the aid of divers working outside of the shell. To that end the shell is provided with exterior hitch means controlled from within the shell. This means includes a set of cranes 15 swinging on respective posts 16 in fixed brackets 17 on the outside of the shell 2. The cranes have hubs 18 which slide and turn on the posts16 and engage lugs 19 on respective slides 20 which are mounted in guides 21, of which sets are provided at opposite sides of the leach window 3.

' Each slide has an operating pinion 22 which has a crank shaft 23 passing into the shell 2 so that the slide can be raised or lowered to shift the crane.

Each crane 15 has a slidable eye or hitch bar 24 normally pressed outward by a spring 25. Each hitch bar has a pull cable 26 attached to a drum 27. The drums are turnable by respective worm gears 28 whose shafts pass into the shell and are operative by suitable means, as cranks 29.

The cranes 15 are normally pulled back by springs 30 and they are pulled around or forward by the cables 26 when it is desired to hitch up to a hull.

The eye bars 24 are adapted to grapple fixed lugs or cleats C provided for such purpose on the hull H at suitable pitch and areas so that some will be available at any posit-ion of the sunken hull. After a hitch up has been completed and the seal packing 11 set hard against the hull then the pump 12 is set to running and water taken from space S, a small quantity of air being let in to facilitate pumping. Sea pressure will then be ef- 1flecltlive to hold the shell hard against the Where the hull H may be tipped over to a considerable angle a hitch up will be facilitated by energization of a powerful magnet M, having a rounded nose N, so that the shell can be drawn over and tipped 0n the magnet as a fulcrum while this is drawn to the hull. The magnet will tend to steady the shell while it is being brought to hitching position against the slanting face of the hull.

5 It will be understood that the shell is lowered to and from position by a mother surface vessel from which all air and power energy is transmitted to the shell mechanism.

What is claimed is:

1. A diving shell including a acket having at one side an egress doorway and an inner closure therefor, and a system of grappling devices disposed at each side of the doorway and having positive mechanical actuating means disposed and operative within the shell to eliect a hitching action against a hull and set the doorway thereon, said means including swinging anchoring arms having telescopic hitch bars, each having springs 0 automatically acting to open said devices from a grappled part when released by the control means.

2. A diving shell having a doorway adapted to be set against a hull, and means for so setting shell and including a set of swinging arms at the sides of the doorway, slides on which the arms are pivoted, mechanism in the shell operative to shift the slides, spring means attached to the arms to retract them, 3 yieldable hitch members mounted in the arms,

and means in the shell to draw the said members and to swing the arms in hitching action and against tension of said springs.

3. A diving shell having means for hitching onto a ship hull; said means including a slidway along the outer shell face, a slide working therein and including a rack, a device operative inside the shell to shift the slide, a fixed post 011 the shell pivoting an arm mounted on the slide, a spring tending to pull the arm one way around the post, a hitch member slidable on the arm and a spring pressing it outward, and a device connected to said member and having a mechanism with in the shell to draw the hitch member and swing the arm to hitching position.

J AMES V. SHULER. 

